Lafayette County Detention Center (Bruce Newman)

With the growing national debate over immigration enforcement, Lafayette County Sheriff Joey East said while law enforcement are bound to follow federal laws, his deputies are not out in neighborhoods actively seeking residents who may be in the country illegally.

He explained that individuals held in the county jail who are later flagged for immigration violations have first been arrested for breaking local or state laws.

“The people that you see that are on our jail roster have been arrested for some violation of law, DUI, no driver’s license — either by us, OPD, or another local agency,” East said.

Once in custody, all individuals are fingerprinted and checked through a national database, a process that has been standard procedure for years.

“If they are in this country illegally, we will get a notification to put a hold on them,” East said. “Then we get written documentation to put a hold on them.”

East said these holds, or “detainers,” are issued by federal immigration authorities, not local law enforcement.

“Our policies have not changed. We still do the same thing we’ve always done,” he said.

ICE has 48 hours to come and retrieve them.

“If they’re not here in 48 hours, and the person has posted bond, we turn them loose,” he said. “That’s the law. You can’t hold them past 48 hours.”

East noted that the presence of individuals in custody for longer periods may give the appearance of extended immigration holds. 

East said that while it’s happened a few times where ICE didn’t respond within 48 hours, it doesn’t occur often.

“Sometimes they may get too busy but they are very efficient so it doesn’t happen often,” he said.

Holding someone after an arrest for ICE is not a choice for the sheriff’s office. 

It’s federal law, so we don’t get to pick and choose what federal law we want to agree with,” he said. “So if any agency, whether it’s FBI or DEA, if they put a detainer or a hold on someone, we have to abide by that law to turn them over.”

One issue East gets frustrated with is losing the person charged with a serious crime to ICE.

“If it’s a serious, violent crime, then we want them here to face those charges,” he said. “I don’t want them deported. I don’t want them to go home where they might hurt someone else. I want them to pay the price and go to prison and then be deported. But that’s not how it works. We don’t get to pick and choose which laws we follow, just like everyone else.”

In recent weeks, the sheriff’s office has received numerous letters expressing concern about local cooperation with immigration authorities. 

“I have 50 to 75 letters. They’re very generic. They’re one letter that’s been sent to me by multiple people,” East said. “They’re opposed to us cooperating with ICE and going around and picking up people here illegally. But that’s just not, in any way, form, or fashion, true.”

East emphasized that his office does not conduct immigration raids or checkpoints targeting undocumented individuals.

“We go out in the county and set up checkpoints to slow people down, to control neighborhood violence, or just to make a presence, which we’ve done for years,” he said. “Some now they think that’s because we’re trying to catch people here illegally. That is absolutely not true.”

He also said that there has been no increase in residents reporting undocumented individuals.

“It’s been my experience that most people, if people are here and they’re productive citizens, that’s not really their concern. It’s when people are causing problems and havoc that we get calls,” he said.

While East acknowledged that federal immigration enforcement has been more active, he reiterated that local authorities are not the ones driving that effort.

“We’re just doing the same thing we’ve always done,” he said. “Just now, for whatever reason, the powers that be are more interested in them leaving the country.”